MANCHESTER'S education chief is going back to the classroom - to show it's good to teach.

Mick Waters conducted a special lesson at Oakwood High School in Chorlton.

And the session was filmed so it can be used in a video to promote the city's schools.

"I believe everyone in the teaching profession should be teaching regularly," said Mr Waters.

"I am going to teach at least once a month and I am hoping other people in the education department can also teach in schools on a regular basis.

"It's only one lesson - but it is a symbol that we are all trying to develop teaching. This is saying we are all in it together.

"It is about developing speaking and listening skills, but it's also to demonstrate some teaching techniques that teachers can emulate in their own classrooms.

"In education we should be more like the medical profession. In medicine there's the principle of operating `theatres' - and when people teach in a classroom it should be just like a theatre where we are trying to develop good practice."

For the lesson, the chief education officer brought together 40 youngsters from schools across the city.

It was also an opportunity for youngsters to tell Mr Waters how they felt about school.

But the pupils say it also gave them a strong sense of exactly how important Mr Waters thought they were.

Corina Iredale, 16, from Oakwood High School, said: "At first I thought why would he come and speak to us - but it shows he cares."

And classmate Sally Duncan, 15, said: "It shows he really wants to get young people's views and that he is interested in what we think."

The schools involved were Manchester High School for Girls, St Thomas Aquinas, Burnage High School, King David High School, Parklands, Ducie and Oakwood high schools.

Pam Roberts, deputy headteacher at Oakwood, said: "It's good to have a chief education officer who is so hands on."